Health insurance company Zilveren Kruis has apologised to policyholders after sending them a survey about their hospital treatment using the details of another patient.

The mistake meant policyholders received a form containing the initials and surname, hospital department and length of treatment of someone else. The forms did not include details of the ailment.

‘Something went wrong when the file was being compiled and the information was wrongly linked to the address list,’ director of customer services Annemiek Heijer told Radio 1 news.

The mistake, she said, is down to human error. In total, 2,643 people were sent the forms – a patient satisfaction survey – using someone else’s details.